Maryland man remains jailed as a suspect in presumed drowning of his travel companion

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In this picture released Aug. 24 by the Office of the Public Prosecutor of Aruba, missing American tourist Robyn Gardner, left, and her travel companion Gary Giordano leave a restaurant at Nanki, southern Aruba, on Aug. 2.

ORANJESTAD, Aruba — The lawyer who gained fame in the Casey Anthony murder trial in Florida said Tuesday that he will now help a U.S. businessman jailed in Aruba in the presumed death of his travel companion.

Jose Baez said he has been retained to defend Gary Giordano in the Dutch Caribbean island. Baez confirmed his hiring in a text message to The Associated Press but declined to provide details about his role in the Aruba case.

Giordano's Aruban lawyer, Michael Lopez, said Giordano's father, Frank, hired Baez, who was the lead defense attorney for Anthony in her trial on charges of killing her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee. Anthony was acquitted of killing Caylee in July, but convicted of four charges of lying to police.

In Aruba, Baez can serve in an advisory role and provide other assistance but he cannot argue in court, Lopez said. "If my client wants me to share all information with Baez, I will do so, even though his role will be that of a consultant," he said.

Giordano has been jailed for nearly a month because authorities suspect he was involved in the presumed death of 35-year-old Robyn Gardner of Frederick, Maryland. He has denied committing any crime and says the Maryland woman was swept out to sea while snorkeling. Her body has not been found.

Giordano, who is from Gaithersburg, Maryland, and owns a temporary staffing business, was arrested as he tried to leave the island on Aug. 5. Prosecutors have said they initially detained him because he gave inconsistent statements about Gardner's disappearance.

The prosecution has disclosed little of the evidence against Giordano but has said he was the beneficiary of a $1.5 million accidental death insurance policy he took out on her before their trip.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Video: Father of Aruba suspect: ‘He is not a monster'

Closed captioning of: Father of Aruba suspect: ‘He is not a monster'

>>>latest on the disappearance of a maryland woman in
aruba
. the suspect's father is speaking out for the first time. and nbc's
jeff rossen
talked to him exclusively. good morning.

>>savannah, good morning. we didn't know much about
garygiordano
until now. we know that police told us he's lied to them repeatedly during interrogations and questioning, he was trying to escape as he was arrested a few weeks ago, he is now the
prime suspect
as you mentioned in the disappearance of maryland's
robyngardner
whose family is grieving and misses her terribly. now gaiordanogiordano's father is speaking out saying he got sick of watching the coverage on television and not being able to say anything. talking to us exclusively about his son, his history with women, and the case against him. it is a side of
garygiordano
we have never seen before, the family man, here posing with his three children. we're protecting their identities. and in this photos, he's with his dad.

>>the least i can do is stand up for my son and tell the world that what they've been hearing about him is not true. he's not a monster.

>> reporter: frank
giordano
is 80 years old, battling cancer. now defending his son, the
prime suspect
in the disappearance of
robyngardner
.

>>i would like to show the other side, the side that
gary
is a good
human being
who is good to his family and good to his friends. i know that he would not be able to kill someone, murder someone.

>> reporter: garygiordano
stands by his story, that he and
robyn
were snorkeling in
aruba
, he disappeared he did nothing wrong. but police say it doesn't add up, holding him
behind bars
. no visitors or phone calls allowed.

>>he's just been put in isolation but it's not just his isolation, it's ours, as well.

>> reporter: but, he says,
gary
's children miss him most.

>>he's very close to the kids. he's almost a
big kid
himself. they love coming over to his house.

>> reporter: but
garygiordano
has had problems with women. he's twice divorced and, according to police reports, two ex-girlfriends have filed restraining orders against him. but frank's long-time companion whose known
gary
for 12 years says
gary
is one of the good guys.

>>any time i've ever seen him with a woman, he's always been very kind and caring and gives them his full attention. and i've never seen him out of line with a woman.

>> reporter: they say
gary
has vacationed with several girlfriends and loves the water. but if things were serious with robb begin
gardner
, it's news to him.

>>the whole situation is strange. i don't know the
young lady
. i've never met her. and i've never heard
gary
talk about her.

>> reporter: a bizarre mystery in paradise. the
prime suspectbehind bars
. and now
garygiordano
's father just hopes his son is watching.

>>i'd like him to know that even though we can't contact him, we would love to be able to contact him, that we both love him very dearly, and that he's missed. and i can hardly wait for him to come back.

>> reporter: there is a hearing scheduled here in
aruba
this week perhaps as early as today. but it works a little differently here in
aruba
versus the u.s., where a judge will decide whether or not they can hold
garygiordano
. the hearing is not going to be public. it's not even going to happen in the courthouse here in
aruba
. instead to avoid a
media circus
the judge is going to go to the prison and set up a little minor small courtroom there and do it at the prison so no one can see. we're told we will find out what happens and what the judge decides after the hearing about whether they can continue holding
garygiordanobehind bars
. important to mention, savannah, he has not been charged with anything here in
aruba
yet.